Monday, February 28, 2011

Photos of the Fur-Kids




This is my little man Woody.  Woody with the "old lady" Cuddles and then Woody being a camera hog as we try to get a photo of the cat Amanda (the child I never had! LOL).  Then there is Treeny, another story in itself!

Hugs, Rubs and Frito Toes

Hugs, Rubs and Frito Toes

He is so handsome!  The first time I saw him he was a face in a crowd and although his manner was kind I never realized how sweet.  I am not talking about the man in my life, although Chris would like me to do so; maybe... I am talking about my dog Woody.

Right now our fur babies number four.  All except one has been adopted a little later in life.  The one we’ve had since a baby is a cat, which I affectionally named Amanda, after the child I never had. LOL

No, we are rescuers in a sense, not because of anything deliberately we go after, but because of circumstance.  It is like we are the stopping place for the ones who need us, and maybe we need them too.

Woody was sort of a unique adoption.  We had loss the last of our “chosen” pets, meaning we bought her as a puppy.  Her name was Darcy and as it turned out she was one of those pets who leaves an indelible mark on you.  Actually both my husband and I contend there will never be another like her and she was the dog of our “lifetime”.  In fact I still have dreams of her and I still smile wildly when I think of her and her antics.  She was a “princess” in all the senses of the title.  And for my husband she was even more special.  After having had a terrible painful time of it she was released from it all.  I was the one who thanked her and told her to run into her next life, for I felt she would be waiting for both my husband and I when our time would come.  For him, it was too painful, for me it provided peace.

After several years I was wanting another dog.  MY dog.  What can I say, my husband is an animal magnet.  All our animals (save one cat and now Woody) tended to bond with him. 

It was what seemed ages I kept hinting and asking, but my husband just did not budge.  Weather he had been too hurt by the loss of Darcy or was worried financially managing 4 animals (and vet bills) or the care and upkeep I don’t know, he just wouldn’t budge.  I finally just stopped asking.  Then there was Woody.

Our groomer was starting to have trouble with our eldest pet, a mini schnauzer who needed regular grooming and she had requested that one of us stay while she groomed her.  A just in case she became too unruly.  At the time the groomer had her own pack of dogs there with one new one.  He was the smallest of her brood.  Chris asked about him.  He was a very strange mix.  Looking like a basenji (but without the almond shaped eyes) he was told Woody was a mutt with Rat Terrier, Pom and Doxie mix.  Turns out she had an opportunity to buy him off of Craigs list (she was always suspect of small dogs on Craigs list ...dogfights you know) and she had a customer looking for a smaller dog.  Well, the other customer fell through.  On that faithful day she was talking about Woody and how he already had 3 owners and was still a sweet dog.  Chris was smitten.  Woody was warm and friendly and took to Chris and Chris took to him.  Next thing I get a phone call from the groomer asking me to come “meet” Woody.

I was stunned!  “Who’s idea is this?” at this point she assured me it was Chris’ and that he knew I was wanting another dog, to call my own.  I hopped into my car and went to introduce myself to Woody.

He was tan, with black and one paw that was white....shades of Michael Jackson.  I can’t say he was good looking but he the most soulful eyes.  He had a way with those ears, which by all that is natural and gravity driven, should be folded over.  But those ears stood straight up and had as much expression as his eyes.  His coloring was that of a shepherd, his nose cold.  The groomer had grown attached to him and her brood of pooches had grown use to him.  But, she with two Mastiffs and two Boston terriers was ready for Woody to find his forever home.  She had him tagged, fixed and all up to date with shots.

I went to the back of the shop where Woody could meet me.  He jumped on a chair and sniffed at my face and then  gave me a quick lick.  The groomer seemed surprised.  “he never licks anyone”

It was love at first lick.

She agreed to let us “try him out” after he had healed completely from his surgery (he had just been fixed the day before).  So, a week later we had our two week try out and Woody never left.  Our groomer check on him often during that time and could see that there was “something” between he and I.  We had not yet set a price (and we thought we would at the very least pay for the last vet visit) when she called two weeks before Christmas and said Woody would be our Christmas present and that she wouldn’t  accept anything for him.  This was such a gift.  She had paid $300 on Craigs List for him, and probably that much in vet bills.  We took him over to visit when we took our schnauzer in for grooming.  It was working out great.

Now, how do we stop the “every animal falls for Chris” spell.  Chris was not to pay much attention to him for a month, while I lavished it.  It was so sweet to have him follow me from room to room, tuck himself under my blankets and look soulful at me when he wanted “lov’in dov’ins”.  His ears were like silk, his sweetness was sincere and to think people didn’t want him!  He was meant to be with us.

After a period of time Chris came into the attention picture and we were complete.  My longing for another dog had gone.

It was after an article Chris read about dogs toes smelling like Frito-Lay Corn chips that the final tag of Frito-toes came to be.  Smell them, go ahead smell them.... maybe your dogs toes smells like the corn chip too!

It is funny how things work out.  There was a time that a little fellow needed a love that would be forever.  There was a time that a gal needed a little boy to call her own.  Under some strange and unusual odds they came together.

Now life is all hugs, rubs and Frito Toes.  Oh, what a lucky girl I am. 

Although I still sometimes dream of Darcy, my heart isn't as achy and if it is I look to my side and see a set of ears rising from the blankets and a cold nose waiting to touch my hand as he accepts a soft caress on his head.  Darcy may be with me forever, but for now I have love enough to share for dog who had quite a journey to come to me.  His paw comes to my face looking for more attention and I wonder what a wonderful joke life gives you and think, where is the dip??

*
**
*