Feel-Good Black Friday

Black Friday has never been about shopping for me. I like to spend the day after Thanksgiving as a recovery day not a shopping day. We spent Thanksgiving Day at my parents, where there were lots of little turkeys everywhere. 

Gracie, left, and Cujoe, right, were not exactly cooperative while posing for these pictures, but they were still much easier to photograph than these two turkeys, Olivia and Sadie.

Believe it or not that's the best picture I could get of them. 

 And the problem was not Olivia, as you can see.

With Cujoe and Gracie, the problem was not Cujoe. 

He was quite cooperative.

And so cute. 

Being at my parents meant we had to leave Wiley behind for a few hours. It would have been too stressful for him with the other dogs and little children. When we got home he was pretty excited, and then the bad, attention-getting, spiteful behavior began. Here he is with the cat's food dish, which he stole expressly for the purpose of sitting right in front of me with it, yet refusing to give it up.  

Anywayyyyy. . . on to the most important part of today. . .  Happy Birthday to Hubs, Wiley's dad. We had lots of overnight guests, so we had a nice birthday brunch for him before he headed off to Madison Square Garden to see the Arizona Wildcats, his favorite team, for the first time in person! 

That was his birthday gift, since his birthday was a big one this year. We won't say exactly what number he's celebrating since that might give my age away too. 

Wiley had no idea what to make of a flaming cake, but you can see him butting his face in with interest. Don't worry, I was very careful to keep him safe!

Happy Birthday to the love of my life! Thanks for all the encouragement and inspiration you provide.  And thanks for loving our pets so much. :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Next week the blog will be back to business as usual so keep your pictures and stories coming. Email me at pabibliophile@gmail.com.

Follow us on social media:  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rescuedogblog
Twitter: @RescueDogBlog
Instagram: @rescuedogblog   

Wiley's Day Out

Previously I shared a post about how my Memorial Day Weekend went. It was certainly not what anyone has in mind when they picture a holiday weekend but in the end things turned out alright. At that time, however, I did share that my original post was going to be about how Wiley's weekend went, and that's what I intend to do now.

The plan was to take Wiley to my parents' house, which is 45 minutes away. This would be the longest car ride he had ever gone on with us, and car rides don't thrill him. If you're not a regular reader, we got Wiley when he was about two, and he was seriously unsocialized and had (has) really bad anxiety issues. In other words, everything and everyone new and unpredictable scares him. So he doesn't like the car because he doesn't know where we're going.

The next issue was a much greater one. He was going to go into a different house, which he has never done while we've had him, and there were going to be two little yipping dogs there.

Cujoe, the older male, is actually pretty mellow around other dogs. Gracie, the younger female, is a bit territorial.  The thing is, these two dogs love people.

 Moreover, they love my husband and me and go nuts when we visit.

 Cujoe is especially enthusiastic about me, insisting that I not just pet him upon arrival, but that I pick him up so he can lick my face off. 

 So you can see the issue here. We walked into my parents yard, with two yippie dogs trying to get at me, and Wiley was. . . terrified. Wait. Did you think I was going to say he was protective?  Nope. He was horrified and tried to hide behind a garbage can.

I tried to enlist someone's help but the issues were plentiful. Wiley wanted to leave. If he couldn't leave then he wanted me. Cujoe and Gracie wanted me. There wasn't much my husband could have done to help. So this is what I wound up with.  Look at my poor guy! Just sitting there with his head turned. 

 
He stood up and tried to hide his head under my leg but the white puffs of enthusiasm were trying to inch closer to him.

My hubbie came and took his leash so I could get down and mediate. I kept my hand on him all the time so he felt my presence and stayed calm. 

 

He really likes to have me touch him. I made Cujoe wait until Wiley calmed down a bit. I didn't want to push him with the body language he was showing. 

When the dust settled and the dogs abandoned him to go traipsing around their yard, he relaxed considerably. Eventually my parents put them inside for a bit, to give Wiley a break.  That's when my husband broke into a huge grin.

 

This is what he was pointing at.

As the day's events unfolded (and if you haven't read about those please do, it could help you save a life) we wound up having to take Wiley inside with the other dogs and kids and people in and out. We stayed for hours. He did so much more than I was originally asking of him, and although it wasn't hours of fun for him, or us, we all survived. I would take him again, even though this is what he did every time he got near the gate.

And this is the look he gave me every chance he got. 

So, now you're mostly caught up on the events of that weekend. I have a few pictures of how we rewarded Wiley for his good behavior, but I'm saving those for later. All that's left is for me to remind you to participate in our Photo Share. Get a picture of your pet with something in its mouth.  All the cool kids are doing it! Email me at pabibliophile@gmail.com.

Follow us on social media:  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rescuedogblog
Twitter: @RescueDogBlog
Instagram: @rescuedogblog 

Coco

Ladies and Gentlemen, Pedigrees and Mutts. . . . today we have Coco, all the way from Hong Kong. And in an interesting twist of six degrees of separation, Coco is originally from Australia, which is where our other international doggies live, Akira and Meko. 

Coco's dad, Cyril, is a driver. One day two years ago Cyril's and Coco's lives changed for the better. Cyril picked up his boss as he would every day, but the boss had Coco with him. Cyril assumed since it was a beautiful sunny day that his boss was planning on taking Coco for a walk.

 

 Imagine his surprise, then, when his boss said he was taking him to the SPCA in Hong Kong!  He claimed Coco was too naughty and he was too tired to deal with him.

Cyril could not understand why such a beautiful and happy dog was being thrown away by its owner. What if no one adopted him?  So Cyril wasted no time in calling his wife, Manny, and without giving it nearly the time and consideration people often give when deciding to get a dog, they brought Coco to their home that day.

Manny and Cyril learned that Coco had "papers" and was a full-bred Bichon Frise. He was five when they adopted him, so obviously that makes him seven now. They don't feel he is naughty at all; in fact they say he's very obedient, he just likes to play a lot. 

At first he was very shy when he came to live with them. He hated being home alone and was scared of other dogs too. Now he's happy as can be, playing with other dogs and adjusting to time alone. As you can see, he at least knows how to make himself comfortable.

I have often made my feelings clear here on the blog that our animals are woven into our fate. Maybe Coco would have gotten adopted from the SPCA, but it seems like he was destined for Cyril and Manny. Now they all have each other, and another dog was spared time in the shelter. 

Many thanks to Manny for sharing this story with us, and to Manny and her husband for making such a compassionate split-second decision. You can follow Coco on Instagram @mannysmiley

Please don't forget! We're in the middle of collecting pictures for our Oral Fixation Photo Share. Email pics of your pet with something in its mouth! pabibliophile@gmail.com. As always, we welcome your rescue stories too!


Follow us on social media:  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rescuedogblog
  Twitter: @RescueDogBlog
Instagram: @rescuedogblog  

Uncle Cujoe

This is Cujoe (right) and Gracie (left).  Wiley's Uncle Cujoe and Aunt Gracie in fact. We've featured them before on the blog. My parents adopted Cujoe from the Hillside SPCA, the same shelter Wiley came from. 

Cujoe was found running through a cemetery near the shelter.   They believed he might have been dumped by a puppy mill. 

Most of Cujoe's day consists of this:

He finds my mom and plants himself securely beside her. If she is going to be busy for awhile he'll lie in one of his many beds or curl up on the chair with Gracie and/0r my dad.

Poor Cujoe has had a rough week.  He had surgery on Monday to remove a few lumps found on his gums, and 13 of his teeth. Awww poor pup. : /  Look, in the picture below he was posing for us, showing the need for the upcoming surgery.

When I spoke to my parents they said he was pretty out of it for about 24 hours after the surgery, but by mid-day Tuesday he was figuring out how to eat with his cone on, and was stealing food from his sister's dish.

Will you keep Cujoe in your thoughts and prayers this week? We need a speedy recovery so he can get back to living the good life and enjoying the way my parents spoil him. In the meantime, this is what he has to say about wearing the cone of shame:

Send your rescue stories to the blog please!  Email me at pabibliophile@gmail.com

Follow us on social media:  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rescuedogblog
Twitter: @RescueDogBlog
Instagram: @rescuedogblog  

Feel-Good Friday: Bichon Bunnies

Cujoe Cottontail

It's Feel-Good Friday. On Fridays we like to share uplifting posts and/or real-life stories beyond our usual rescue pieces.  For Christians, it's also Good Friday.  I contemplated making a pun with Feel Good Friday, but I was afraid people might be offended given the solemn nature of this day in the Christian tradition.  Anywaaayyyyyyyy, the Rescue Dog Blog operates best in the world of light-hearted journalism, so I'm sharing these pictures of Cujoe and Gracie in bunny ears!

Br'er Gracie

Cujoe and Gracie are my parents' rescue dogs. Cujoe is a Bichon Frise and Gracie is a Havachon. Gracie, pictured directly above, was not particularly cooperative. Below, she is more interested in kissing Olivia.

Cujoe was compliant but very unamused when I first put them on.

Once I pulled him away from his comfy spot on the chair next to my dad and thrust him into the spotlight he seemed more resigned to the process. 

Gracie complied for one more decent picture before the ears were pawed off.

Cujoe gave us one more too.

After that I just didn't have the heart to torment them anymore. My parents dress them in costumes for every holiday. They have seasonal sweaters with turkeys and bunnies and who knows what else? But the ears. . . well that was just more than they signed on for, so I wrapped up the photo shoot. I did, however, still have one very willing model:

Enjoy the upcoming weekend but don't forget about your homework for the Great Outdoors Photo Share! 

Follow us on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rescuedogblog
Twitter: @RescueDogBlog
Instagram: @rescuedogblog