Monday morning coming down

Last weekend was typical of rescue life. After transporting Quentin all the way from Lodi, getting him settled in his new home with mom Tara, new crate, starting a new raw diet, learning the Kong, attending his first Better Way Dog Training class with Bob Gutierrez, Tara's landlord changes his mind about her having a pet.

Quentin fitting in

In tears, Tara called to say she didn't think it was going to be possible to keep Quentin. Now, even though we knew Quentin was in the perfect place for him, Reunion Rescue has a lifelong returns policy. We got on the horn and called out the troups. Jess and Jaime who're longtime Reunion adopters offered to foster Quentin while we seek that perfect home.

I knew exactly what Tara was experiencing. Inside, we are all that little girl with a mean man trying to take away the puppy. Who hasn't been there? Reunion has a saying, 'always walk out with the dog.' Here was an opportunity to put those words to work.

Since Quentin was now situated temporarily, we got busy again with the very complicated process of trying to ship Spuds, our blind boy, from Lodi here to Reunion Rescue No-Kill Refuge where we can treat his joint issues and eyes with raw diet and homeopathy. What the heck, we had one option with On Wings of Care who would fly Spuds, but with only Spuds and another dog, the cost of fuel between $1800 and $2000. We made a decision on the fly to go ahead and bring Guido, too. We are still looking for other dogs needing transport either from California to Texas or back to California from Texas. Each passenger lowers the cost which is split according to how many dogs are flown.

Spuds and his ball getting ready for Texas!

I called Bonny at On Wings of Care and told her to go ahead and pencil us in. By the way, I hadn't cleared it with my significant other, Scott, but figured I'd 'wing' it...literally operating on a wing and a prayer. I have learned over the years in rescue to just try and do the next right thing and we'll be carried. It always happens that way.

After all this was settled, I sat down with Scott and made him a proposition. Even though we're operating on overload right now, literally a two bedroom house operating as a de-facto shelter with no big money grants and free Toyotas...I drive an old '98 Jeep Cherokee that holds two crates on a good day. It was truly a hard sell.

Guido's going to Texas!

I pitched it like this. Give me two days to try and make it work with Spuds and Guido. If it's too much and I can't pull it off, I'll either board Guido or find a foster home. He's a mush-melon of a staffie bully boy and very easy, just wanting to sit around and cuddle.

I can't believe it, but Scott caved in. I was honest about something else, too. I've been hoarding Amber. After what happened with Stella dying at Spindletop and all the horror surrounding the raid, Amber has been my little rock. We have held onto each other and made it through a terrible time. I haven't wanted to give her up. In fact, the thought of adopting Amber makes me cry. It's selfish on my part and against what rescue is truly about. She needs her own home and her own people. It is wrong of me to try and keep her.

Pip's new bed

So, I promised Scott I would revamp Amber's adoption link and really start trying to find her that perfect home. After this heart to heart talk, two things happened.

First, Brett who's fostering to adopt Pip with significant other, Jenny, texted me a photograph of Pip in her own home on her brand new plush dog bed. Pip was with me for four years and made it out of three very high kill shelters. She is truly a survivor and proof that there is a perfect home for every dog if we just believe.

The next thing blew my socks off. Tara called. She had been cuddling on her sofa with Quentin for 6 hours petting him and crying. In San Francisco, luckily, there is huge support for tenants and their companion animals. Tara had been doing her research and is securing documentation to keep Quentin. She asked if she could have one more week with him to try and make this happen.

Amber's grand prize

Wow. All I can say is, wow. These events all pretty much happened without my doing. It's hard in my world to step back and let nature take its course, but geez, Louise, sometimes it really does work.

BeBe, by the way got Pip's old digs and has her own house with cable tv. We watched 'The Color Purple' Saturday night since Pit Bulls and Parolees were on Thanksgiving holiday. It's good to take the time to sit down like a normal person with their dog and just watch a tearjerker old movie. Wednesday, we've got a date to watch Gone With the Wind. BeBe has never seen it and I think she's really gonna like Prissy. I wish she was dog friendly so Amber could join us in her red satin-teen collar like Mammy's scarlet red petticoat, but we'll have to try that experiment another time.

Buster and octopus

Before I could explode, I got a sweet letter from Ken and Steaven who recently adopted Buster with a photo of Buster and his baby octopus. It keeps getting better and better.

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I am really blessed to have these beautiful creatures in my life and a purpose. I am grateful that Spuds and Guido will be joining us. I'm happy that Nolan is getting better every day, running in the yard. Peanut got BeBe's old crate spot and he seems a little more settled in his own protected area.

Last night, I broke out the Kong donation box I'd been attempting to have a half-ass raffle giveaway, and gave the prizes to Amber, Peanut and BeBe. They acted like they'd won the lotto, but the big winner is me.