Sassy & Ginger Chronicles (and Chili Too!)

Sassy Sunday 6/24/12

2012-06-24T09:33:00.001-05:00

Sassy

Hello Everyone. Happy Sassy Sunday! I've been out to the garden recently to see if any of my favorite snack foods were ready for the picking. And guess what we found. Tomatoes! Little ones, but they were really good. I had to share with the family. And with Chili. But I got to eat mine right there at the garden fence. (Barb put a fence around the garden to keep out the deer, rabbits, and Sassys that might want to eat the veggies.)

Almost Ready

Ready!

I love the garden. I got to eat some peas the other day too. And soon we'll have some cucumbers. I've got a great gig here.
I don't remember much about my puppyhood. I know that I was living with a real nice family in Birmingham, AL. They got me because they were told I was a Chihuahua mix and the dad in the family had allergies but was able to tolerate the other Chihuahua mix in the house. (Barb says if there is any Chihuahua in me, I must have eaten one. But that's beside the point).

Anyway, it only lasted a few months and they knew they'd have to find me a new home. The dad was just miserable with allergies to me. The family was sad but they sent me to live with the dad's secretary. I liked her, but her dog didn't like me. So that didn't last long. An older couple living nearby offered to take me in. But they didn't realize how much work a puppy can be and I was just too much for them. I'm not sure how much time I actually spent in any of these homes. It's all a blur. But I was only 9 months old when I went to live with the older couple.

When they realized they couldn't keep me, they let the original family know. (the allergy dad) They were very worried for me. Especially the little girl in the family. So the mom talked to one of her employees. He and his family were about to move to Illinois to start a new job. They only had a month left in Alabama. Would they consider giving this little dog a new home? Would Ginger, their 1.5 year old dog, let a new puppy into the house? They were willing to give me a try.

I went with the older lady to a grocery store parking lot to meet my new family. They had 3 boys and a beautiful reddish-gold dog named Ginger. Everyone got out of the car to meet me. They loved me right away and I got into that car with them. I remember being confused but I felt safe and happy with them. They didn't get too mad at me when I had an accident (or two, or three) on the carpet. They were very busy trying to get packed up to leave, but they were kind and loving to me and I felt a part of the family in no time.

They were also in the process of getting another pet to take to Illinois. Our cat, Spooky, had been a stray in the neighborhood. But that's another story. :)

Anyway, I moved with the family to Illinois and I have been a part of this happy home since then. Gosh, it's been about 6 years! That would make me about 7 years old. I got a birthday card in the mail recently from the vet's office. Barb thought it was funny since she doesn't really know when my birthday is. She just guessed based on the fact I was about 9 months old when I came to live with them. It's starting to show in my face a little. I've got a few more gray hairs around my eyes and mouth. But all in all, I think I look good. :) Next time Barb gets a good picture of my face, I'll post it for you.

Well, the story continues but that's about enough for now. Thanks for stopping by! I'm gonna hook up with the blog hop that you can find over at Life with Dogs. Link up and play along if you like!

Sassy

Sassy Sunday - 6/10/12

2012-06-10T13:32:00.001-05:00

Hello, Everyone! Happy Sassy Sunday. :)

It's gonna be a quiet day here, at least for a few hours. My boys went to the Cardinals baseball game so Barb is here with just us girls. (Spooky the cat is here too. He's a boy but we don't count him. heehee) She's got work to do on the computer so I have to get this done so she can have it. She's working on her lecture for Tuesday. She's teaching a class in Human Sexuality and Reproduction this summer. I don't know anything about that. For one, I'm not human. (Shhhh! Don't tell Barb) Second, I'm spayed. I'm sure I'd make super adorable puppies, but it's actually a really good thing I'm spayed. Lemme 'splain.

Barb has been telling me about something no dog should have to hear about. It's our animal control facility and how so many dogs (and cats too) go in and never make it out again. In 2010, according to public record (State of Illinois Department of Agriculture), 4,130 pets went into the Madison County Animal Control. Only 1,037 left alive. That's almost 75% of the animals going in left the building in a garbage bag.

So, we've started a petition and letter writing campaign. These are the things we are asking for:
1. Open Madison County AC for public adoptions. Right now, you cannot adopt from there. If your dog or cat is there, you can claim them. A very few rescue groups can come in and try to get any adoptable pets out. But otherwise, they will be euthanized.
2. Remove the many restrictions on state licensed rescues and shelters so more can pull animals. Right now only a few are able to get animals.
3. Remove the "death only" for owner surrenders. Did you know that at many animal control facilities, if you surrender your pet they will not be adopted out? They will be killed immediately because no one is looking for them. Even if they are a highly adoptable pet.
4. Remove the "death at the end of the hold time" if space allows. Right now, any pet that has been in the facility for 5 days will be put down, even if they are the only one there.
5. Only count business days. Now they only have 5 days, including weekends and holidays. What if a family loses a pet while they are out of town over a holiday weekend? They can't go on Monday because it's a holiday. They show up on Tuesday when the AC opens to find out it's too late. All animals are put down Tuesday morning before opening.

Barb believes these are not only plausible changes, they are no-brainers. She's planning to attend a meeting tomorrow of the Safety Committee that oversees animal control. She'll be there with representatives of our favorite animal rescue (Hope Rescues). There is a Facebook page and a link to the petition. If any of your two-legged family members would like to sign the petition, tell them to do it! Anyone can sign, not just residents of Madison County Illinois. Some people as far away as the UK have signed it already.
Here's the link to the Facebook page. Here's the link to the petition. Tell them Sassy sent you!

On a happier note, we saw a cute little bird gathering up dog hair from the deck to use in building his/her nest this morning. Check it out.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the bird mainly has Ginger's hair. She sheds something crazy! Chili and I both shed too, but our hair is nice and short. :)
Speaking of Chili, Barb got a picture of her just as she finished sniffing some flowers on the deck. Barb wasn't quite quick enough to get her actually smelling the flower, but it's a good picture anyway.

And here are a couple of other photos from the deck yesterday. It was a nice day.

Even though it's Sunday, we are linking up with the Saturday Pet Blog Hop. Check out all the great pet blogs out there!!
See you soon,
Sassy

The Big (Hen) House

2012-06-07T21:41:00.000-05:00

Well, the girls have moved to the hen house. They seem happy in their new digs. Instead of having a concrete dog run they have a pen outside under the pine trees. As soon as their feet touched the soft dirt they were scratching and making all kinds of chicken noises. It was great!

New digs for the chickens

Girls outside enjoying their new yard

I'm thinking this hen may actually be a rooster. :)

Look at her compared to the one above! (They don't just give those college degrees away, ya know!)

Inside they have nesting boxes, their food and water, and a couple of roosting places. Look at all that nice clean bedding!

Chili likes to come with me to check on chickens. Ginger usually comes too. Sassy likes the chickens ok, but she's more of a "go out to do my business then lay on the couch" kind of dog. What is it, I wonder, that makes chicken poop taste so good? Well, you'll have to ask Ginger. She snags every opportunity to clean up after those birds. Silly girl. No wonder I had to worm her this spring!

We've got some lovely sunflowers blooming. And in the garden we have tomatoes and cucumbers already. And a butternut squash. :)

The radishes are all gone. We had a ton of them left over after Sassy and Chili had their fill so we wanted to find a recipe that called for lots of radishes. My DH found one that was just divine. It is called simply Red Radish Soup. But it should be called "The Best Cream of Radish Soup Ever."
Here's a picture.

If you'd like to try it, go here.
It's even good the next day served as a chilled soup!

That's what's going on in the lives of Sassy, Ginger, Chili and Me. Thanks for stopping by!

Barb

Sassy Sunday 5-27-12

2012-05-26T23:37:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! Sassy here for another installment of Sassy Sunday. It's Memorial Day weekend, so don't forget to remember all those veterans.
We've been busy here at the new place. I helped Barb get all the radishes out of the garden. apparently radishes are cool season veggies. We'll grow some more in the fall. Chili and I ate plenty of those spicy little balls. We had so many that Barb didn't mind sharing. Ginger just spit them out. Silly girl.

There are some tomatoes in the garden already. They are called "early girls". Barb brought 4 of them into the kitchen but has not offered me any of them. I love tomatoes. I used to steal them off of the cherry tomato plants last year. Those and the peppers. I'm sure Barb didn't know about it, though. That won't be so easy this year. We have a fence around the garden to keep the deer and rabbits out. Unfortunately for me, it keeps me out too!

Need any more proof that we live out in the country now? Here's a sign we never saw in town.

I guess this is the time of year we see lots of big farm equipment on the roads. But we don't mind sharing! As long as I'm going for a car ride!
The chickens are getting big.

They are in the dog run right now because there are some roosters in the chicken coup. The roosters will be moving on soon, so the girls will get to move out to the coup soon. But they have it pretty sweet right now where they are. By night they are inside the barn in a nice cozy dog run with lots of wood shavings for bedding. They spend the day with the door open to a huge run outside. It's concrete, but there's lots of green things to peck at through the fence and they are really amazing at catching may flies out of the air. It's fun to watch them in the morning when Barb opens the door. They run around the yard making funny noises and flapping their wings.
Here's Chili with the roosters. They have had some freedom to wander around but they started attacking Barb so she mostly keeps them in the pen behind the coup.

I'll leave you with a picture of Ginger being her sweet, silly self. :) Have a great weekend!
Love,
Sassy

Sassy Sunday 4/22/12

2012-04-22T18:24:00.001-05:00

Sassy Sunday 4/22/12

Hello World! Sassy here. I’ve got a lot to catch you up on, so let’s get to it.

The chickens are growing like crazy. Here are some pics to show you how they’ve changed.

This is March 17 2012

Here they are April 3, 2012 and April 8, 2012.

They look like real live chickens now. We should have eggs by the end of August or early September. I wonder if I'll get any?

We've been working on the garden. Barb has been harvesting the radishes already. She gives some to me and to Chili. Ginger won't eat them. She thinks we are crazy.

We've planted potatoes, tomatoes, onions, squash, and some peas. We also planted some apple trees and peach trees, some asparagus, some rubarb, and some Jerusalem artichokes. We have a little more room in the garden, but I don't know if Barb will be putting anything else out. :) This picture is from a few weeks ago. But it gives you a good idea of our garden. Plus you can see both me and a rainbow in the picture.

We ran a turtle hospital here for a week. Barb and the kids saw this poor little guy get hit by a car. The car got him on the edge of his shell and sent him flying into the air. Barb stopped and picked him up. He's a red-eared slider. An aquatic turtle. The vet kindly looked him over and said his injuries weren't life threatening. She was nice enough to give him a shot of antibiotics. (She's the one who takes care of our gecko, Mamba) We brought him home and kept him gooped up with antibiotic cream until he stopped bleeding. Then we let him go in the pond near our house.

I'll leave you a couple of pictures - evidence that the cat, who sleeps with Barb every night, sleeps around with the other females in the house.

Have a great week!

Love,

Sassy

Sassy Sunday - I'm Back!

2012-02-26T08:27:00.001-06:00

Something happened this week that hasn't happened in about 3 months. We have internet at our house! Yes. It's been quite difficult for those human children who are addicted to addicting games dot com. But they've managed.

Here are 2 of my boys playing in our "back ten"

This is our front yard!

So internet is new. The other news - we've moved out to the country! Now Ginger and Chili and I have lots of woods to run in!
We have a bunch of acres, whatever that is. We have a barn with dog runs (why we need dog runs, I don't know. We are house dogs and Barb won't ever leave us out there) and horse stalls. There's a place for a big garden. There's a chicken coup (no chickens yet). And lots and lots of woods.

We love being out in the country. It's a half mile down the gravel drive to the road. There are all kinds of interesting sounds and smells out here. We've got coyotes - you can hear them at night. We've got barred owls - you can hear them early in the morning. They sound like monkeys right now because they are arguing about territory. There are deer and rabbits. The neighbors have horses - I got to meet one of them. What a great place to live as a dog!

Well, that's it for this installment of Sassy Sunday. I hope to be a bit more regular now that we're back on-line!
Love,
Sassy

Sassy Sunday 10-9-11

2011-10-09T17:10:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone, Sassy here. It's time again for an update. Sorry it's been so long, but Barb keeps saying she's too busy to help me write a post. Oh! If I only had fingers!!

Anyway, our lovely foster dog Tracker now has a new home. And thank goodness she has a new name too! Her name is now Sadie. She had to have a little extra surgery when they took her to get spayed. Turned out she had a mammary tumor. One she never would have gotten if she'd been spayed 5 years ago. The vet thinks it's benign, so that's good. But we won't be sure until the pathology report comes back.

Look at my Mum's awesome mums!

Well, Barb went to two (yeah, two) dog-friendly events this weekend and she did not take me along. The first one was a fundraiser for an awesome group called Loosen the Leash. They take homeless dogs to a juvenile detention center. There the kids learn how to train the dogs and the dogs get training to help them get a new home. It's a great thing! And they get most of their dogs from out favorite Hope Rescues. Anyway, Barb didn't bring me because she had to be in charge of the adoptable dogs that day.

This is Jigs. His owner die so Hope Rescues is helping find a new home.

Here are some of the people and dogs at the event. The lady in the center with her back to us is the main person from Loosen the Leash.

Then today she went to the botanical garden on the local university campus. They were having a discovery day. Dogs were welcome, but Barb didn't think she could handle me and the other two along with the kids. There was a bird show. Barb took some great pictures. They all look really tasty!

Red-tailed Hawk

Barn Owl

Great Horned Owl

Peregrine Falcon

Turkey Vulture

There was a pug there that apparently made all the birds nervous. So I guess it's good Ginger and I weren't there.

We are linking up to the Saturday pet blog hop (yes, I know its Sunday). Go check out some other great pet blogs!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sassy

Sassy Sunday - New Girl in Town

2011-09-25T09:09:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone, Sassy here. Well, I am finally rid of all the extra cats in the house and what does Barb do? She gets a foster dog! Meet Tracker. She's a 5 year old basset hound mix. She is much prettier than her name. Her name should be something adorable like "Sassy".

Anyway, Barb got a call Friday night from a friend. Tracker had been in someone's backyard, chained to a tree for several months. Her yard was just a mud pit. Her dog house had holes in it. And her dog bed, which was outside of her dog house, was crusted with mud. She got fed (sometimes by the owner, sometimes by the neighbors) but no one at the house ever paid her any attention. A nice lady (Amber, the Dog Nanny) had been feeding her and playing with her but knew that the best thing would be for someone to get her outta there. So Barb's friend Patty (who knows Amber) just went over and asked the owner if he'd be willing to give his dog away. Without a second thought (and without knowing Patty or what might become of the dog) he said yes.

Patty asked Barb if there was any way Hope Rescues could take the dog. Barb asked Jackie and Kim. They said yes. So now Tracker is officially a Hope Rescues dog being fostered in our house. (and eating my food, playing with my kids and my toys)

She is a very pretty girl. Mostly basset hound but her legs are too long to be all basset. Anyone have a guess?

Anyway, we'll keep you updated on our new girl.

And now a note from Chili - Chili received a package from Something Wagging This Way Comes. It was full of wonderful stuff! Toys, treats, poop bags, coupons, samples, etc. What a great surprise! Barb entered her in the giveaway and she won! Yeah! And because she is such a good pack sister, she shared all the stuff with Ginger and me. Here is a picture of us checking everything out.

There are two cute little stuffed toys. (you can see the blue on in the photo) I took the liberty of de-stuffing them for Chili. I'm much better at it than she is and Barb wasn't watching closely enough. Why or why do they put that stuffing in toys anyway? But no matter. Chili just loves them unstuffed and they keep her company when she has her kennel time. My favorite was the freeze-dried turkey hearts. We all loved those! So from Chili, Ginger and me, Thank you Something Wagging!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope everyone has a great week!

Love,

Sassy

Sassy Sunday - A summer of kittens comes to an end

2011-09-18T08:08:00.003-05:00

Hey Friends! Sassy here. :)

Well, our kitten summer is over. The last of the foster kittens, Lucky, went to a new foster home on Friday. Barb would have liked to have kept him, but he was making life miserable for my dad (cat allergies) so he went to stay with a man who has another foster kitten. That kitten is a cute little siamese girl. That will be best for Lucky. Our cat, Spooky, is not much into playing with kittens. (That didn't keep Lucky from trying to play with him, though!)

We had a great party this weekend. Our youngest human turns 9 years old today. So his Aunt Sue and cousin Ashley came over to celebrate. And the 9-yr-old next door was here too. The people ate burgers and brats and had something called a cookie cake. Ginger, Chili and I just got dog food. But it was fun to have people in the house. 9 years old! When I joined the family he was just about 4 years old. They do grow up fast. But he still loves me. And I love him.

Barb should have some pictures from his party at the video game place later today. They don't allow dogs there so I won't be in any of the pictures. boo

But here's a funny picture of Chili for your enjoyment. She often sticks out her tongue when she's asleep and Barb finds it funny to take a picture. Thanks for stopping by today!

Sassy

PS poor Chili. She's so ugly she's cute!

Sassy Sunday - Is it pumpkin time already?

2011-09-04T09:41:00.001-05:00

Hi, Everyone! Sassy here. It's been a while since I've done a Sassy Sunday. Barb's been doing the Saturday Blog Hop, then doesn't want to let me do a post the very next day. The nerve of some humans. Anyway, I'm doing one today.

We went to the dog park last week. It's our favorite dog park - really, it's the only one around unless you count the poor excuse for a dog park in our city's park. They have a fenced in space barely bigger than a kennel and they call that a dog park! But Barb read this week that one of the other local parks just got a grant for a new dog park. I hope its a good one. It will be closer and maybe we'd get to go more often.

Anyway, the 3 of us had fun getting wet then rolling around in the dry grass (and dirt).

The middle kid wanted to plant pumpkins this year. And we got some!

Barb had to go ahead and pick these two. There is some kind of vine borer bug that had killed the vines feeding these two.

This one still has some growing to do, and hopefully the vine will stay healthy.

And, surprise! Barb didn't even know this one was there. It was hiding. But now we know it's there. :)
Well, that's really all I got. Barb told you all about the kittens yesterday. But thanks for stopping by. I'm glad to see you.

Sassy

And then there was one

2011-09-03T10:30:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone. So. This is Lucky. He's the last of our "spare" cats. For those of you joining us for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, we had a spare gaggle, herd, flock, whatever of cats at our house this summer. It started with Daisy, a lovely calico momma who decided to have her kittens under our chimney the day before Father's Day.

She had 5; 4 of them survived. We brought her into the house and gave her a nice warm place to raise her babies. (actually, more like cool! It was really, really hot this summer)
Then about the time Daisy's babies were weaning themselves someone dumped a bunch of kittens in a parking lot. It was 102 degrees that day and they were left in a wire crate with no shade or water. Daisy graciously agreed to help me take care of them.

She's really a good cat. I hope her new family gets her spayed. But as far as mommas go, she a good one. A local rescue, Rico's Rescue, has agreed to help me find homes for them. I'm fostering, but the rescue has them listed on petfinder.com and they are paying for the vetting. Two of them have been adopted by people I know. A third, Laffy Taffy, was found on petfinder. Lucky is the last one.

We are participating in the pet blog hop today! Go here if you want to join in!

One Down, Seven To Go!

2011-08-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

This is Roxy. She was born under our house the day before Father's Day this year. This photo was taken just two or so days after she was born.

Well, Roxy has gone to her new forever home. Here's a not-so-great cell-phone image of her with her 3 siblings taken about 10 days ago. She is as cute as can be (aren't they all?). Her new mom (lucky for us, she lives in our neighborhood!) says she's just running around the house, trying to get their older cat to play, and settling in just fine.
The mom, Daisy, should be leaving here with her 3 other kittens in about a week or 10 days. They will all be going to the same home. They will live with the Grandma and Grandpa of 4 grandchildren. That way, each grandchild will have his or her own cat living at Grandma's house. I think they will have a great life.
As for the newest batch, we still have no permanent homes on the horizon for them. They are listed on petfinder with the rescue for which we are fostering them. And I've had a couple of neighbors express some interest. But so far nothing as been finalized. Keep your paws crossed for them!

This is a blog hop. Stop by (click here for one of the hosts) and link up!

Saturday Pet Blog Hop - OMG Batman! Not MORE kittens!!!!!

2011-08-06T08:40:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! Sassy here and we are doing another Saturday Pet Blog Hop along with our friends at Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. If you'd like to join in, go here and link up.

Now, I guess you may have figured out from the title of this post that Barb is turning into the "crazy kitten lady." Yup. We've got more kittens in the house! Let me tell you the story.

Last Tuesday Barb was on Facebook (whatever that is) and saw a post from our favorite rescue group. Someone had dumped a cage full of kittens in the parking lot of a doggy daycare and boarding place (owned by the ladies of Hope Rescues) at 3:00 in the afternoon, 102 degrees, no water, no shade. An employee just happened to find them before they baked to death. Jackie (our hero) was a mess! She couldn't keep them. They were at capacity at the rescue (which is NOT the same as their business) and she did not want to lose her rescue license over someone else's lack of responsibility. She knew that she'd have to have animal control pick them up if they were not gone by 5:00. But she also knew that animal control would not keep them either. It was find someone to rescue them, or send them to their deaths. Well, if you knew Jackie, you'd know that she was in tears (and huffin' mad) over these babies.

A rescue group, Rico's Rescue, agreed to help Jackie out, but she only uses foster homes and none of hers were available. Barb was already on her way to get the kittens (she needed to help Jackie out) so we are now a new foster home for Rico's Rescue. There were 5 kittens, but we only have 4 of them. One of them is being fostered by another of Hope Rescues' volunteers. But if there is anyone out there in the St. Louis area that wants to help foster these babies, please step up! Barb is in trouble at home since we still have the momma and 4 kittens from Father's day and they will be here until the end of August.

Here are the new babies:

Here are the 4 of them

This is Laughy Taffy (girl) on top of Lucky (boy)

Lucky (boy)

Mrs. Claws (girl)

Suave (boy) (The other kitten was named Rico after the dog from Rico's Rescue, so Dad thought it would be funny to name one Suave - "Rico Suave"

Laughy Taffy again

The vet says they are about 5 weeks old. Barb and the boys gave them baths and washed about a gazillion fleas down the drain. They got wormed and tested for FIV and Feline leukemia thanks to Rico's Rescue. And the good news - negative for both!!!!! That will make it much easier to find them homes.

Well, I'm doing much better on my leg. Barb wants me to put it down more, but I still tend to want to carry it when I'm moving fast. I went for some swimming therapy with 2 of my boys. My cousins (Jenny, a black sheltie mix, Juneau and Kodi, American Eskimos) have a pool at their house.

I'm all about swimming! I'd go every day if we had the pool at our house. But, as it is, Uncle B doesn't really like dogs in the pool. So I don't get to go very often.

Thanks for stopping by today! Check out the blog hop for some great pet blogs. And come get a kitten!
Sassy

Sassy Sunday (7-24-11) Kittens are 5 weeks old!

2011-07-24T09:28:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone. Sassy here. So first, I'm sure you are all wondering how my leg is doing. I'm getting so much better. I got my stitches out on Friday (well, at least the ones that I hadn't already chewed out :)) and the vet said I'm looking great. I'm starting to put it down when I walk and the vet said I should go to my Aunt Bambi's house to swim in her pool.
So. I'm doing fine. Thanks for all your well wishes! Barb read them all to me.

Now. Can you believe our kittens are already 5 weeks old? We'll be getting rid of them in just a couple of short weeks. Check out these pictures of Roxy, the calico kitten.

Roxy at just a couple of days old

Roxy at 5 weeks old

Isn't it amazing how they change so much in just 5 weeks? Roxy will be living in our neighborhood so we should get to see her often. The others will all be going to the same house in a nearby town. See, there is a family with two little girls that lives in our neighborhood. Their grandma, who has 4 grandchildren (two in our neighborhood) is taking the other 4 cats so that each will have his/her own cat living at Grandma's house. The momma cat has been "claimed" by the four-year old girl and named Daisy. Her two-year-old sister will get to name the other female kitten, and the two boys each get one of the male kittens. That just works out fine. And since the girls live here, we can get regular updates on how Daisy and the babies are doing.

Here are a couple more pictures of the babies for your viewing enjoyment:

Thanks for stopping by today!
Love,
Sassy

Sassy's Boo-Boo

2011-07-13T21:47:00.000-05:00

Hi, Everyone. Sassy here. Well, I'm home from my surgery but my leg really hurts. You can see the funny haircut I got and the big row of stitches on my knee.
But the vet said it went great. My CCL was torn but the fix was easy and I'll stop being in pain soon. Right now it's not so bad 'cause they gave Barb some good drugs for me.

Thanks for keeping your paws crossed for me!

Sassy

Sassy Sunday (7-10-11)

2011-07-10T11:13:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Sassy here. No, that's not a picture of me. This is the adorable (or so says Barb) Kitten #3. Poor baby doesn't have a name yet. We are waiting for his (or her?) new mommy to name him. He is pretty cute.

Ginger was downstairs with Barb last night. And guess what! She is scared of little, bitty kittens. Yup. Scared of them. Chili, on the other hand, wants to get to know them. But Momma hasn't let those dogs near them yet. And, as for me, well, I'm the queen of the house. If the kittens want to get to know me they can. But they'll have to come to me. I'm not gonna bother to go down there.

I will be going in for my surgery tomorrow. Somehow I tore my CCL. That stands for "cranial cruciate ligament" and it's the same as the ACL in humans. There are some other treatments before surgery, but pain meds and weight loss (Oh, I've lost 2.5 lbs. I'm starving to death! Send pizza!) and rest are not helping. And I'm not about to wear a brace. I don't like wearing stuff. Plus the vet doesn't think they work very well. (although he told Barb he'd be happy for us to try it if we want to).

There is more than one way to do the surgery. We are going with the less risky, less involved form. They will tie some suture material to the bone behind my knee cap, bring it around the front, and tie it to a hole they will drill in the top of the bone just below my knee. This suture material won't last for too long, but by the time it breaks down there will be some scar tissue built up to stabilize my knee. Sounds easy enough.
The other procedures involve cutting of bones and the vet said that in his experience, these surgeries work just as well but not better than the option he prefers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdrBzHQ49W4

And now, for your laugh of the week, I'd like to show you how ridiculous Chili acts when she thinks someone is gonna get her food. It's funny. Being the dignified girl that I am, I just growl at any dog to gets into my bowl without my permission. (BTW, in case you were worried, Chili and I will both allow Barb to take food out of our mouths and bowls without complaining. We are not food-aggressive. Just a little protective when it comes to each other and our food.)

Have a great Sunday!
Sassy

Saturday Pet Blog Hop - Kittens are 3 weeks old!!

2011-07-09T11:40:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
We are participating in the Saturday Blog Hop today. If you are interested, go here, and sign up! The link will take you to Two Little Cavaliers, one of the hosts of the blog hop.

Well, the kittens we found on Father's Day are now 3 weeks old. It's hard to believe! They are now getting around on their own pretty well. They are even venturing out of the "nest" my son set up for them in the guest bathroom shower.

Here are two of them, Roxy (the calico baby) and Kitten #3 (still not named by new family) out on the rug in front of their kennel. Mom is looking on. See her there in the corner?

Here Momma and #3 are squeezing between the door to the shower and the kennel.
So, today I set out a small, low tray with litter in it. And I'll be putting some food out for them soon too. If there is anyone out there with advice, I'm all ears. I've never taken care of babies this young and the internet does have some confusing information.

Sassy will be going in for surgery on her torn CCL (same as ACL in humans) next week. That's the ligament in the knee. She's been limping around for a while and the medicine isn't helping. Doc thinks the best thing to do now is the surgery. So keep her in your thoughts and hope she gets lots of good pain drugs!

Have a great weekend!

Sassy Sunday (7-2-11) Saturday Blog Hop and Kitten Update

2011-07-03T07:56:00.000-05:00

http://twolittlecavaliers.com/2011/07/dogs-for-autistic-children-pet-bloggers-blog-hop.html

Hi, Everyone! Sassy here.
I know it's Sassy Sunday, but we are linking to the Saturday Pet Blog Hop because Barb promised and then couldn't get to it yesterday. That's fine. I'm the pet blogger anyway. :) You should check out the great list of pet bloggers on the hop. Click the link under the picture for one of the hosts of the hop. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Great news. All of our kittens and the momma cat have homes waiting for them! Yup. I haven't even gotten to see these little critters (the mom won't let me near them. She even swiped Ginger's nose! The nerve.) and they are all spoken for. That's great. Barb and family can't keep a bunch of cats. Anyway. Here's a pic or two of them. Don't fuss at Barb about the picture quality. She took them on her cell phone.

This one is Roxy. She's the only one with a name. The other's are "Momma Cat", "#2", "#3" and "#4". Roxy was "Kitten #1", but her new mom let us know her name will be Roxy.

This one is "#3". He (or she?) is one of the smaller two. There are two bigger and two smaller. We guess that's ok. Barb, being the geek scientist that she is, has been keeping a log of their weights and everyone is gaining. Roxy and #2 weigh about 11oz while #3 and #4 each weigh around 9 oz. It's amazing how much an ounce of kitten is! The two larger ones look huge compared to the two smaller ones!

Momma Cat is very protective of her babies. And if they make one little squeak when Barb has them out of the nest, she comes right out and gets them.

Here she is coming to get Roxy. It won't be long 'til Roxy is too big for Momma to pick her up!

Anyway. All of their eyes are open. Barb took them to the vet. He said they are all healthy and thinks there are two boys and two girls. Momma had no parasites and is FIV and feline leukemia negative. If you add those results to the fact that she is super friendly, one must conclude that she was not a stray for long. Perhaps her family dumped her when they found out she was having kittens? Anyway, lucky for her she decided to have her kittens here. One of the neighbors up the street had planned to call Animal Control on her. Yikes!

So. What else is new?

Chili continues to get caught with her tongue sticking out. Barb thinks it's funny to take her picture. Here, you can only see the tip. Sometimes it sticks way out.
And that's about it! We've got family coming tonight for dinner. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love,
Sassy
PS - Hi Aunt Barb! (Aunt Barb likes my posts, heehee)

Holy Felines, Batman! Kittens!!

2011-06-23T16:49:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess the word it out. Come to my house and you won't be turned away. That is, if you are a dog or a cat. Or a cat with a litter of kittens.

Momma (I haven't given her a name yet. Any suggestions?) decided to have her litter of kittens under our chimney up against the foundation of the house. On Fathers' Day, Ginger had her head stuck under there and I heard the most awful growling. I had no idea what it was, but I knew Ginger had no business under there.
As soon as the dogs were in the house, a starving, but beautiful and friendly pastel calico cat came out from under the chimney and asked for lunch. We fed her, of course. While she was eating one of the kids said "Mom, I hear something else down there." Yup. A pile of kittens. Eyes closed. Ears closed. Umbilical cords still there.

So into the house they came. One of the boys fixed her up a nice nest in the basement bathroom and she settled right in.

The kitten pictures were taken today (at 5 days old). The calico baby is spoken for, but all the others, including Momma, are looking for homes. They'll be ready to go in about 8 weeks. Let me know if you want one. :)

Sassy Sunday (6-19-11) Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:53:00.000-05:00

Hi, Everyone. Sassy here. Yes, it has been way too long since I did a Sassy Sunday post. But with the end of the semester and the beginning of the summer, we've been busy, busy bitches! (that includes Barb, Ginger, Chili and me, BTW).

So. I've been busy trying to rest my leg (I've got a torn CCL) and lose weight, sigh. Chili has been busy annoying Ginger and me, mostly Ginger, since our foster dog Miss Piggy found a home. Chili even got to see Miss Piggy (who is now called "Sugar") the other day. Her new mom takes her to Doggy Daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays so Barb took the kids and Chili up to say hello. I didn't get to go, hmph!

Anyway, today is Father's Day so I thought I'd tell you about my wonderful father!

He teaches at an establishment of higher learning. But that's not what makes him so great. He's great because when he gets home from being anywhere, he always takes time to say hello to me and the other dogs. He pats me on the head and makes a comment about my pretty smile. I love it when he comes home. Usually my tail beats against the couch and he comes over to see me.

He's good with the other dogs too. I've heard him tell Ginger that she's a pretty girl. He's even said it to Chili but I can't believe he means it! Chili always picks up a toy and brings it to him when he comes home. He dutifully takes the toy from Chili and promptly gives it back to her (which is what she wants him to do. I think it's a pretty dumb game, but it makes Chili happy so he does it.)

Let's see. What else does my daddy to for me and the other dogs? He doesn't fuss at Barb for buying the expensive dog food. He gives me nibbles of his raw vegetables whenever he is chopping up stuff to cook. (My favorites are carrots, celery, brussels sprouts, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cabbage, swiss chard, apples, cherries, etc.) He lets me sit on the recliner with him. He takes me for walks. He lets me out when I want to go out and he lets me in when I want to come in. He lets me sit on the deck and watch him at the grill. He lets me sit under the table when the family sits down to eat. He speaks kindly to me and gives me all the love and attention a queen of my stature deserves. I just love my dad. I hope you all have wonderful dads (and/or moms) in your lives too!

Until next time,

Sassy

Gone Fishin'

2011-06-08T07:36:00.001-05:00

5:30 AM - Sunrise on Kentucky Lake - June 2011

Once again our family has made it to beautiful Kentucky Lake. We've come here 3 times before, always staying at the same place (a gem we stumbled upon the first time we came here). Nothing fancy. Just a welcoming, homey, really clean fishing resort with individual cabins and an excellent view.

This is the fourth day of our week-long stay. The big guy and cub #1 are out with a professional fishing guide today (can I still call my teenager a cub?). His name is Captain Kirk! How cute is that? The last 3 times they went out with him, they had phenomenal luck catching tons of fish. So I hope they have a great day today.

But we don't need a professional guide to catch fish! Check out the fish two of the 3 boys caught in the last couple of days. :)

"What happened to these fish?", you may ask?

Yup, we threw them all back. I'm expecting the boys to bring back dinner from their trip today. But the other fishing we're doing here is just for fun.

Youngest is, of course, a little disappointed he hasn't gotten a fish yet. That's my only goal for the rest of the week. I caught something yesterday. Too bad it turned out to be part of an old leather purse or bag of some kind. So I wouldn't mind catching a fish too. :)

There are some other families here as well. These parents, though, get a little grumpy if you get too close to their kids.

Well, I guess I would too if I wasn't sure of your intentions.

Besides the geese and their babies, which we can see at home, there are tons of blue herons here. We do see them at home too, but not nearly as many or as often as you can see them here. They are so graceful when they stalk along the shore or fly over the lake. But have you ever heard one of them? I think they must have been the inspiration for sounds the pterodactyls make in movies. They make the most prehistoric-sounding squawk.

I hope the start of your summer is going great as well!
Until next time!
Barb

A Huge Gift

2011-05-20T06:32:00.000-05:00

Hope Rescues a hit with White Sox pitcher - The Telegraph

Many of you who follow me know that our family regularly fosters dogs for a rescue group called Hope Rescues. We love it. And we love them. They are some of the most dedicated and selfless people we know. When they rescue a dog they make a commitment to that dog. If he/she isn't adopted, he/she will live life at the rescue, loved and cared for forever. If an adoption doesn't work out, the dog is welcomed back. If the dog needs an expensive vet procedure that the new owners (even after years) can't afford, Hope Rescues will help raise the money needed. And how do dogs end up with them? Most of the dogs come from animal control facilities. After the other rescue groups have come in and claimed the "cutest" or "most adoptable dogs," Hope comes in and rescues as many of the "left-overs" as they have room for.

I'm, of course, not the only ones who love Hope Rescues. About 3 years ago a nice young couple came to Hope Rescues to donate some items and help out with some work around the dogs. This young couple quickly learned that the co-founders of Hope, Jackie and Kim, are as dedicated as I've said.

This young couple turned out to be Mark and Jamie Beurhle. If you don't follow baseball, and more specifically, the Chicago White Sox (like I didn't), you might not recognize Mark's name. He is the pitcher for the White Sox. They have recently given Hope the biggest gift they've ever gotten. Please read the link above if you'd like. It's heart-warming.

Wordless Wednesday - Pondering homelessness

2011-05-18T07:04:00.000-05:00

Saturday Pet Blog Hop - Miss Piggy, going to the vet, and baby geese

2011-05-14T09:02:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone! Sassy here. Above is a picture of me that Barb thought would be a funny one. She took it with her phone, so the quality is not the best. I was hiding, you see. At the vet's office. But they found me. I have a sore leg. The doc said something about a tear in my CCL (which is apparently the same as the ACL in people). And it hurts. But the doc gave Barb some medicine. And since it cost almost $2 a pill (and she gave us 30 of them), Barb says it better help! If not, well there is always something called surgery they can do.....

We've still got Miss Piggy. Barb and the family really like her. They say she's the sweetest dog. And that if someone gave her just 5 minutes, they'd fall in love with her. Well, I'm hoping that happens. I'm a bit grumpy because of my leg and I feel the need to growl at Miss Piggy whenever she runs over with that puppy-like energy and tries to get me to play with her. I even snapped at her one time. But she doesn't get it. She seems to like me for some reason.
Here's a pic Barb took of her sleeping. She says it's cute.

I wish Barb would take me over to the campus. There are a ton of geese over there and even though my leg hurts, I'd love to try to chase them around.

Thanks for stopping by today. We didn't participate in the blog hop last Saturday because we were busy raising over $500 with a yard sale - all proceeds going to Hope Rescues (www.hoperescues.com). That's the group that "lent" us Miss Piggy and who rescued our dear Chili. Feel free to link up below and join in the fun!

Love, Sassy

Saturday Pet Blog Hop

2011-05-07T07:29:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Saturday! We've now had Miss Piggy, Piggy for short, a whole week. Things are working out pretty well so far.
This is a busy weekend for those of us who like to help out Hope Rescues. They are having two adoption events today, plus this is the weekend for our annual yard sale to raise money for Hope Rescues.

Miss Piggy helped me all day yesterday. By mid afternoon she was totally pooped! But we made about $350 yesterday. Not as good as last year, but it'll help with a vet bill or two.
Thanks for stopping by. This is a blog hop. So link up and join the fun!